Saturday, July 6, 2013

Nichi-Iko Ladies Saturday: Young Kim First to Double Digits Under Par

Former LPGAer Young Kim takes a 1-shot lead on defending champion Mi-Jeong Jeon into the final round of the Nichi-Iko Ladies after firing her 2nd-straight 67 today. With Eun-Bi Jang 2 back, 1st-round co-leader Na-Ri Lee 3 behind, and Bo-Mee Lee 4 off the pace, the chances for the 1st Korean victory on the JLPGA since Na Ri Kim's in mid-April are looking pretty good. But the Seoul Sisters will have to deal with Yukari Baba, who made 6 birdies in her last 11 holes and closed with a 31 to pull within 2 of the lead, not to mention veteran Junko Omote, young gun Megumi Kido, and 30-year-old Mayumi Shimomura, who is looking for her 1st win in her 10th full season on tour. Teresa Lu, Saiki Fujita, and Erika Kikuchi are among the players with Lee at -7, while Harukyo Nomura (-6), Kumiko Kaneda (-6), Rikako Morita (-5), and Akane Iijima (-5) are among those not quite out of it. Play has already started in the final round. Let's see if anyone can improve on tournament low for the week of 65 by Baba!